A to Z Classics - The Canterbury Tales (Best Navigation, Free AudioBook) ( A to Z Classics)

At Alisaundre he was, whan it was wonne;

Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bigonne

Aboven alle nacions in Pruce;

In Lettow hadde he reysed, and in Ruce,

No cristen man so ofte of his degree.

In Gernade at the seege eek hadde he be

Of Algezir, and riden in Belmarye;

At Lyeys was he, and at Satalye,

Whan they were wonne; and in the Grete See

At many a noble arive hadde he be.

At mortal batailles hadde he been fiftene,

And foughten for oure feith at Tramyssene

In lystes thries, and ay slayn his foo.

This ilke worthy knyght hadde been also

Somtyme with the lord of Palatye

Agayn another hethen in Turkye,

And everemoore he hadde a sovereyn prys.

And though that he were worthy, he was wys,

And of his port as meeke as is a mayde;

He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde

In al his lyf unto no maner wight;

He was a verray parfit gentil knyght.

But for to tellen yow of his array,

His hors weren goode, but he was nat gay.

Of fustian he wered a gypoun,

Al bismotered with his habergeoun;

For he was late ycome from his viage,

And wente for to doon his pilgrymage.

With hym ther was his sone, a yong Squier,

A lovyere and a lusty bacheler,

With lokkes crulle, as they were leyd in presse.

Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse.

Of his stature he was of evene lengthe,

And wonderly delyvere, and of greet strengthe.

And he hadde been somtyme in chyvachie

In Flaundres, in Artoys, and Pycardie,

And born hym weel, as of so litel space,

In hope to stonden in his lady grace.

Embrouded was he, as it were a meede,

Al ful of fresshe floures whyte and reede;

Syngynge he was, or floytynge, al the day,

He was as fressh as is the monthe of May.

Short was his gowne, with sleves longe and wyde.

Wel koude he sitte on hors, and faire ryde,

He koude songes make, and wel endite,

Juste, and eek daunce, and weel purtreye and write.

So hoote he lovede, that by nyghtertale

He slepte namoore than dooth a nyghtyngale.

Curteis he was, lowely, and servysable,

And carf biforn his fader at the table.

A Yeman hadde he, and servantz namo

At that tyme, for hym liste ride soo;

And he was clad in cote and hood of grene,

A sheef of pecok arwes bright and kene

Under his belt he bar ful thriftily —

Wel koude he dresse his takel yemanly,

Hise arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe —

And in his hand he baar a myghty bowe.

A not — heed hadde he, with a broun visage,

Of woodecraft wel koude he al the usage.

Upon his arm he baar a gay bracer,

And by his syde a swerd and a bokeler,

And on that oother syde a gay daggere,

Harneised wel, and sharpe as point of spere.

A Cristophere on his brest of silver sheene,

An horn he bar, the bawdryk was of grene.

A Forster was he, soothly, as I gesse.

Ther was also a Nonne, a Prioresse,

That of hir smylyng was ful symple and coy.

Hir gretteste ooth was but by Seinte Loy,

And she was cleped Madame Eglentyne.

Ful weel she soong the service dyvyne,

Entuned in hir nose ful semely;

And Frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly

After the scole of Stratford-atte-Bowe,

For Frenssh of Parys was to hir unknowe.

At mete wel ytaught was she withalle;

She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle,

Ne wette hir fyngres in hir sauce depe.

Wel koude she carie a morsel, and wel kepe

That no drope ne fille upon hir brist.

In curteisie was set ful muche hir list;

Hire over-lippe wyped she so clene,

That in hir coppe ther was no ferthyng sene

Of grece, whan she dronken hadde hir draughte.

Ful semely after hir mete she raughte;

And sikerly, she was of greet desport,

And ful plesaunt, and amyable of port,

And peyned hir to countrefete cheere

Of court, and been estatlich of manere,

And to ben holden digne of reverence.

But for to speken of hir conscience,

She was so charitable and so pitous,

She wolde wepe, if that she saugh a mous

Kaught in a trappe, if it were deed or bledde.

Of smale houndes hadde she, that she fedde

With rosted flessh, or milk and wastel-breed.

But soore weep she if oon of hem were deed,

Or if men smoot it with a yerde smerte;

And al was conscience, and tendre herte.

Ful semyly hir wympul pynched was,

Hire nose tretys, hir eyen greye as glas,

Hir mouth ful smal, and therto softe and reed;

But sikerly, she hadde a fair forheed,

It was almoost a spanne brood, I trowe,

For, hardily, she was nat undergrowe.

Ful fetys was hir cloke, as I was war;

Of smal coral aboute hir arm she bar

A peire of bedes, gauded al with grene,

An theron heng a brooch of gold ful sheene,

On which ther was first write a crowned ‘A,’

And after,‘Amor vincit omnia.’

Another Nonne with hir hadde she,

That was hire Chapeleyne, and preestes thre.

A Monk ther was, a fair for the maistrie,

An outridere, that lovede venerie,

A manly man, to been an abbot able.

Ful many a deyntee hors hadde he in stable;

And whan he rood, men myghte his brydel heere

Gynglen in a whistlynge wynd als cleere,

And eek as loude, as dooth the chapel belle,

Ther as this lord was keper of the celle.

The reule of Seint Maure, or of Seint Beneit,

Bycause that it was old and somdel streit —

This ilke Monk leet olde thynges pace,

And heeld after the newe world the space.

He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen,

That seith that hunters beth nat hooly men,

Ne that a monk, whan he is recchelees,

Is likned til a fissh that is waterlees —

This is to seyn, a monk out of his cloystre —

But thilke text heeld he nat worth an oystre!

And I seyde his opinioun was good,

What sholde he studie, and make hymselven wood,

Upon a book in cloystre alwey to poure,

Or swynken with his handes and laboure

As Austyn bit? How shal the world be served?

Lat Austyn have his swynk to him reserved;

Therfore he was a prikasour aright,

Grehoundes he hadde, as swift as fowel in flight;

Of prikyng and of huntyng for the hare

Was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare.

I seigh his sleves ypurfiled at the hond

With grys, and that the fyneste of a lond;

And for to festne his hood under his chyn

He hadde of gold ywroght a curious pyn;

A love-knotte in the gretter ende ther was.

His heed was balled, that shoon as any glas,

And eek his face, as it hadde been enoynt.

He was a lord ful fat and in good poynt,

Hise eyen stepe, and rollynge in his heed,

That stemed as a forneys of a leed;

His bootes souple, his hors in greet estaat;

Now certeinly he was a fair prelaat!

He was nat pale as a forpyned goost,

A fat swan loved he best of any roost.

His palfrey was as broun as is a berye.

A Frere ther was, a wantowne and a merye,

A lymytour, a ful solempne man,

In alle the ordres foure is noon that kan

So muchel of daliaunce and fair langage.

He hadde maad ful many a mariage

Of yonge wommen at his owene cost.

Unto his ordre he was a noble post,

And wel biloved and famulier was he

With frankeleyns overal in his contree

And eek with worthy wommen of the toun,

For he hadde power of confessioun,

As seyde hymself, moore than a curat,

For of his ordre he was licenciat.

Ful swetely herde he confessioun,

And plesaunt was his a absolucioun,

He was an esy man to yeve penaunce

Ther as he wiste to have a good pitaunce;